Paid search is a smart method of quickly increasing your online visibility, but it’s also competitive. With multiple pay-per-click results for most Google searches and no guarantee that taking the top spots will earn you traffic, how do you ensure you’re investing your money wisely? 

To get your campaign off on the right foot, we’ve compiled some key steps to build paid search strategies that actually convert. 

Spend Time Researching Keywords

Before spending any money on paid search, you need to know which keywords will bring you the most qualified leads. We highly recommend allocating time for comprehensive research and utilising trusted tools (at Kau Media Group, we’re big fans of using Semrush, Moz, and Google’s Keyword Planner for our clients).

The aim here is to identify high-intent search terms that your specific target audience use when searching for brands like yours. Be sure to balance search volume and competition before choosing the right terms for your campaign. 

Craft Engaging Copy

The right keywords won’t be enough to secure conversions. Just as with paid social, you still need to get your audience to click on your content rather than your competitors'. This requires clear, engaging metadata and copy that feels persuasive without being pushy.

Make sure you include the primary keyword to show your relevance for the search term. Highlight how you’re going to solve your audience's problems, too, or clarify the USPs that make you the right result for their search (like a wide range of products or multiple years of experience). 

Optimise Your Landing Pages

Winning clicks is a sign that you’re on the right track, but you haven’t necessarily got a conversion in the bag just yet. Now, you need to optimise your landing pages to keep guiding your users down your sales funnel.

Your landing pages should align with your metadata, ensuring users don’t feel misled after clicking on your page. If you promised to solve a problem in your meta description, for instance, make sure the solution is clear and easy to find (this is also good practice for answer engine optimisation (AEO)).

Ensure your landing pages deliver an excellent user experience, too. Each page should:

• Load quickly
• Be responsive across a range of devices
• Offer smooth navigation
• Answer questions and provide solutions
• Include calls to action (CTAs) that guide your users towards conversions

Track Your Performance

You won’t always get paid search right on the first try, especially if it’s your first campaign. This is where monitoring your performance is absolutely crucial.

By tracking key metrics, you can analyse what works well for your paid search and what needs to be improved.

You might, for instance, see that certain key terms deliver a good amount of traffic, while others aren’t earning many clicks. By removing the poorer-performing terms, you streamline your campaign, reduce wasted ad spend, and boost your overall return on investment (ROI).

Metrics that we recommend tracking include click-through rate (CTR), cost-per-click (CPC), conversion rate, and return on ad spend (ROAS). 

Work With Paid Search Experts

Building paid search campaigns that convert takes strategy and experience. If you don’t want to wait for results, work with our paid search experts at Kau Media Group.

Reach out to our team today to chat about your campaign.